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First Time Setup

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homelabforge edited this page Oct 18, 2026 · 9 revisions

First Time Setup

Welcome to MyGarage! This guide walks you through your first login and helps you add your first vehicle, service visit, and fuel entry.

Initial Access

After starting MyGarage for the first time, navigate to:

http://localhost:8686

Or if you're accessing remotely:

http://your-server-ip:8686

Authentication Mode Selection

On first launch, MyGarage defaults to no authentication mode for easy initial setup.

Understanding Auth Modes

No Authentication (Default):

  • ⚠️ Development/testing only
  • Anyone with the URL can access your data
  • No Authentication Enabled warning shown in Settings → System
  • Do not use if exposed to the internet

Local Authentication:

  • Traditional username/password
  • JWT-based sessions
  • Best for single-user or family deployments
  • Enable in Settings → System

OIDC/SSO Authentication:

  • Integrate with Authentik, Keycloak, Google, Azure AD, or any OIDC provider
  • Single sign-on
  • Best for multi-user deployments
  • Configure in Settings → System → Configure OIDC

Switching Authentication Modes

To enable local authentication:

  1. Visit Settings → System
  2. In the Authentication Mode card, click the Local tab, then Switch to local sign-in, and confirm. It takes effect at once
  3. Click Register here on the sign-in page that opens
  4. Create your first user account (it becomes the admin)

For detailed OIDC setup, see Authentication Guide.

Adding Your First Vehicle

Option 1: Using VIN Decoder (Recommended)

  1. Click "Add Vehicle" from the dashboard
  2. Enter your 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
    • Example: 1HGBH41JXMN109186
  3. Click "Decode VIN"
  4. MyGarage automatically fills in:
    • Year
    • Make
    • Model
    • Trim
    • Displacement and cylinders
    • Transmission
  5. Click "Next" and add the rest:
    • Nickname (required; e.g., "Daily Driver", "Weekend Cruiser")
    • Vehicle Type (required)
    • License Plate
    • Color
    • Purchase Date
    • Purchase Price
  6. Upload a photo (optional but recommended)
  7. Click "Create Vehicle"

Option 2: Manual Entry

If your VIN doesn't decode (older vehicles, motorcycles, etc.):

  1. Click "Add Vehicle"
  2. Enter the VIN and click "Next" without decoding
  3. Fill in vehicle details:
    • Nickname (required)
    • Vehicle Type (required)
    • Year, make, model, trim, color, etc. (optional)
  4. Click "Next" to the end, then "Create Vehicle"

Adding Your First Service Visit

Once you've added a vehicle:

  1. Click on the vehicle card from the dashboard
  2. Open the Maintenance tab, then Service
  3. Click Log Service Visit
  4. Fill in the visit details:
    • Date - When was the service performed?
    • Mileage - The odometer reading
    • Vendor/Shop - "Jiffy Lube", "DIY", or search for saved vendors
  5. Add line items (one per service performed) with Add Item:
    • Category - Maintenance
    • Description - "Oil change - Mobil 1 synthetic 5W-30"
    • Cost - $45.99
  6. Add tax and fees (optional):
    • Tax, Shop Supplies, Misc Fees
  7. Click Create

To attach a receipt, edit the saved visit and upload it under Attachments (JPG, PNG, GIF or PDF, up to 10MB).

Service Visit Best Practices

  • Be consistent with odometer readings - This helps track mileage trends
  • Attach receipts - Useful for warranty claims and resale value
  • Include all line items - Match your receipt for accurate totals
  • Set up maintenance schedule - MyGarage can remind you when service is due

Adding Your First Fuel Entry

Track fuel economy and fill-up history:

  1. Click on your vehicle from the dashboard
  2. Open the Fuel tab
  3. Click Add Fill-up
  4. Enter fill-up details:
    • Date - When did you fill up?
    • Mileage - The odometer reading
    • Volume - How much fuel did you add?
    • Price per - The price per gallon or litre, e.g. $3.45
    • Total Cost - Auto-calculated from price, volume, and rebate
    • Fueling station - "Shell", "Costco", etc.
    • Full Tank Fill-up - Check if you filled to full (required for fuel economy)
  5. Click Create

Fuel Tracking Tips

  • Mark full tanks accurately - Partial fills are fine; their fuel is folded into the next full tank's economy automatically
  • Record odometer precisely - Accuracy matters for fuel economy calculations
  • First fill-up won't show MPG - You need at least 2 fill-ups to calculate MPG
  • Track consistently - The more data, the better your analytics

Understanding the Dashboard

After adding your vehicle, the dashboard displays:

Vehicle Cards

  • Photo - Vehicle image (if uploaded)
  • Nickname/Name - Quick identification
  • Recent Activity - Last Service, Last Fill-up, Latest Odometer
  • Fuel Economy - Average fuel economy
  • View Details - Opens the vehicle

Summary Strip

  • Overdue and Upcoming (next 30 days) reminders
  • Spent this year
  • Next due reminder

Setting Up Service Reminders

Never miss an oil change or inspection:

  1. Go to your vehicle's detail page
  2. Open Tracking, then Reminders
  3. Click "Add Reminder"
  4. Configure reminder:
    • Title - Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Inspection, etc.
    • Reminder Type - Date, Mileage, Both, or Smart (Engine Hours for vehicles that track hours)
    • For a mileage reminder, a Service interval (e.g., every 5,000 miles), counted from now or from the last service; MyGarage works out the target
  5. Click "Create"

MyGarage will display alerts on the dashboard when reminders are due.

Uploading Important Documents

Store registration, insurance, and owner's manuals:

  1. Go to your vehicle's detail page
  2. Open Media, then Documents
  3. Click "Upload Document"
  4. Choose the file (PDF, JPG, PNG, or office files) and enter a title
  5. Optionally select a Document Type:
    • Insurance
    • Registration
    • Manual
    • Receipt
    • Inspection
    • Other
  6. Click "Upload Document"

Next Steps

Now that you've set up your first vehicle, explore these features:

  • Analytics - View fuel economy trends, spending over time, and service frequency charts
  • Export Data - Backup your data as JSON or CSV
  • Multi-Vehicle Comparison - Compare fuel economy and costs across vehicles
  • Appearance - Light/dark toggle in the top bar; six accent colours under the gear icon → Quick settings
  • Units, language, currency and time format - Also under the gear icon → Quick settings (see Units and Language & Translations)
  • Authentication - Switch to local or OIDC mode for security (see Authentication)

Need Help?

Next: Learn more about Managing Vehicles or dive into Service Visits.

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